If You're Happy and you Know it (Scratch your Fur)

First graders had a good time hearing this story (and singing along!) You might thing you know If You're Happy and You Know it, but this is the Jungle Edition! After singing, we made drawings and paintings inspired by the book.

Fresh Pop Art, Popped Daily

We've been looking at the art of Andy Warhol, some of which was created using printmaking techniques. Fifth graders are now printing multiple images of the blocks they carved. We will create many prints on many different types of surfaces using different colors of ink. Then we can combine them to create works of art that have both unity (through repetition) and variety.

Printmaking is great, because you can have many copies of your art and each one is one-of-a-kind. At the end of the unit, some kids trade prints with friends, and we all contribute one print to put in our auction. Each kid will be given millions of dollars (of play money, of course) to bid on their classmates' prints. It remains to be seen who will set the record this year for the highest price paid for a print.

Picture Books of Trips we Took

Second graders have been making picture books. We have been using Uncle Andy's by James Warhola as a mentor text. This book is about a family trip, so we're all making books about trips we've taken. Each story starts at home, the author finds out they're going somewhere, they prepare for the trip, travel to the destination, and then arrive there. Each step is described in the story and illustrated. Everybody's story is different, even though it follows the same general template.

Pop Cats

After reading James Warhola's book Uncle Andy's Cats, we were inspired to make "Pop Cats" -- art that combines paint with found objects and collage created by images from popular culture.

Our Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Andy Warhol predicted that "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes." That's where we get that expression, "fifteen minutes of fame." Just for fun, fourth graders made drawings and creative writing about their own imagined fleeting stardom. Below is a really creative piece by Alexis...

Here are some of the other illustrations of students' fifteen minutes of fame:

Block Carving

Fifth graders have begun carving the printing blocks for our Pop Art printmaking unit. They made several sketches of things from popular culture such as commercial products, celebrities, and cartoon characters. Then, they picked their best sketch and transferred it to the block. Now they are carving the image with carving tools. The material we are using is called EZ-Cut. It is similar to the linoleum blocks you parents may have used, but so much easier and safer!

Soft Sculptures

Here are some of the finished soft sculpture projects by fourth graders.

The one above is Gavin's portrayal of Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps.

Bradley's project doesn't have a name yet, but I call him Mr. Bling.

I love his medallion, which is made from a needle threader!

Sgt. Stuffed Guy is a real tough guy!


Star Wars fans out there will recognize galactic bounty hunter Boba Fett.

These are just a few of the very creative projects by fourth graders. Sewing isn't everyone's "cup of tea" - but I say, let's all give it a try. Just like everything in art, some will discover a new favorite hobby and some will say, "I hope we won't have to do that again!"